Well I shot some wobble trap today and had fun. After that I sent some rounds thru the AR.
My AR is a Bushmaster and so far it has been great, anyways,
I noticed that it “looks” like I have the M4 feed ramps, it also is good that the carrier keys are properly staked. This makes me happy.
So my questions are: When cleaning the rifle or any fire arm, I like to put a light coat of oil on the outside of the weapon. The Ar’s finish makes it hard to do with patches and some towels. How do you guys coat the outside in a quick manner?
Also, I have no need to shoot more than 100 yards. Where do you guys zero your sights and then hold over or under from there? I am thinking 75 yards and then compensate from there, sound good?
except if you give your weapon a water bath! For example, firing corrosive ammo (not a factor in 556 AR but in a 5.45x39 it could be). After using WD40 in the nooks and crannies to get rid of the water, you then lube normally.
(I know you know this IG, just for posterity who read this thread later)
It was suggested to me from this site to use a dedicated paint brush to coat the rifle with whatever oil you want to use. This gets in the nooks and crannys very well and pretty quickly.
WD-40 is good for getting water out of stuff. Once the volatiles evaporate, it becomes gummy crap. Don’t use WD-40 unless you’re trying to displace water out of something that fell into a puddle.
The OP asked about protecting the outside of his weapon. Not lube. I’ve used WD-40 to wipe down my guns since 1975. I used to bird hunt a lot, shoot skeet occasionally (skeet range is where first saw “everyone” using WD-40). I wipe down my weapons everytime I handle them. And, none has any rust or “gummy” substance on them. I use WD-40 to clean and protect and remove water, if needed. NOT lube.
Not sure I understand the purpose of coating the outside of the rifle with anything actually. It is anodized aluminum. Aluminum doesn’t rust. Sure it corrodes, but when it corrodes it corrodes into aluminum oxide which actually protects it from further corrosion. Unlike iron which when it rusts, it exposes more metal and the vicious cycle begins.
I believe that coating your rifle with anything only attracts dust and debris. I could see putting a light coat of oil on say something like the outside of the barrel. But coating the receiver is rubbish in my opinion.
but then again, if it is shiny it means it is a top tier rifle… :sarcastic:
Rather than start a new thread, I thought I’d piggyback as I’m curious about a similar thing:
I just ran the Vickers class yesterday and it poured all day. I wiped the rifle down before I put it away, but I have a long rail. Do I need to take the rail off and dry the outside of the barrel? Probably too late now. Should I spray some WD-40 on the barrel through the rail? Or will it all be ok?
I would spray it down. But, if you’re not careful it could gum up the whole works and the rifle may never fire again! After all, WD-40 is crap for guns. :laugh:
I use isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol to displace water. It mixes with the water, speeds up evaporation, doesn’t leave crap (like WD40) behind, inexpensive, and readily available.
After I douche it well with alcohol, I heat the gun up with a blow dryer and then keep it warm for 10-15 minutes. Then, I put oil, grease, etc. on the gun that I want on the gun while it is warm. The heat helps the oils or greases migrate into the nooks and crannys,you just degreased.
I like to take the plastic bottle of alcohol and poke a 3/32"-1/8" hole in the seal and use it as a squirt bottle. I try to use the 91% alcohol that Wal-Mart sells but I have used the 70% when that was all you can find.
Alcohol does not displace water. It may mix with water but it does not displace it. In fact, the 91" or 70% you cite is mixed with water so you are sticking water on your gun when you do that. Might as well just use the hairdryer.
I don’t know why you are doing any of that crap anyways. I have a BCm upper on a spikes lower (go figure) that I take out in the rain, mud, and dirt all the time and I never do anything special to the exterior or interior. I just keep the BCG and BCG rail contact points lubed and keep shooting it.
OP: Unless you live in a light house next to the ocean or are on a boat in the middle of the ocean, I doubt you need to do anything.
BTW: I live in Seattle. There is water here all the time. I deal with it and so does my rifle.
Isopropyl Alcohol is very good for removing water. It does not displace it, but it does break the surface tension, mix with it and cause it to evaporate more thoroughly. WD-40 displaces water but it does nothing to assist in drying.
WD-40 does leave a residue, but this is more of a problem over time with internal parts. Since WD-40 displaces water but does not evaporate it, WD-40 can promote rust when used to protect a firearm which is then stored in a gun case. The problem is worse when the gun case is wool lined. WD-40 and a wool lining is particularly destructive to nickel plating.
The aluminum receivers of the AR aren’t prone to corroding, but the CMV steel barrels are parkerized and require oiling for maximum corrosion protection
Ok, well let me clarify. WD-40 and firearms shouldn’t really mix in my opinion. Also, the AR is primarily made of aluminum which doesn’t need to be wiped down. The barrel is about the only thing that does.